<p>if i get into both where do you guys think i shud go? i would visit but due to financial/personal reasons i can't.... i want to major in english or government/political science</p>
<p>I haven't heard anything about Lafayette, but here's what I know about Trinity:</p>
<p>It's a really good school, and most people who have been there adore it. However, it's in a high-poverty area, a minority neighboorhood to be exact. The area is perfectly safe...just very poor. If you can get over that, you'll be fine (some people have a problem with it).
I've heard that their English program is fantastic.</p>
<p>I think that Trinity's preppier with the Northeastern New Englander influence, and Lafayette has more kids from NJ and Penn. I don't think Easton's such a great town, but maybe its changed since I drove through. Trinity may have a better reputation, although I don't think its as rigorous as it's selectivity would suggest.</p>
<p>I think they're very similar in terms of student body mentality and academic reputation, although may give a small edge to Trinity. Just the fact that CC lists Trinity among top LACs and not Lafayette would tend to point to people's general distinction of the two. Also, Trinity's association with the NESCAC, whose best two academic schools are Williams and Amherst, probably props it up more than Lafayatte's association with the Patriot League, whose best two academic schools are Colgate and Bucknell, and not quite at the Williams/Amherst level. </p>
<p>I think fit is a more important criteria and would think the biggest different between the two is the more urban nature of Trinity vs the more suburban/rural nature of Lafayette.</p>
<p>Lafayette is excellent for political science, but beware the cutthroat environment.</p>
<p>Lafayette is "cutthroat"? I'm not that familiar with this school but I've never heard that.</p>
<p>Extremeley competitive, so far as I've heard.</p>
<p>I haven't gotten that impression at all from any of the Lafayette students that I've met.</p>
<p>Perhaps once again, my private college counselor has proved himself to be an expensive, know-nothing, waste of my time. He dissuaded me from applying to Lafayette. Had I known...</p>
<p>Colgate and Bucknell are not the Patriot League's two best schools; USMA at West Point and USNA at Annapolis are. You are right however that the NESCAC schools are far superior to the Patriot League schools. No Patriot League school is higher than 16th on USNWR LAC rankings, and one, American, is 86th in the university rankings. NESCAC schools range from first to 39th on LAC rankings (Tufts is considered a university and ranks 27th.)</p>
<p>Interestingly, Lafayette and Trinity are tied at 30th (Bucknell is 29th). Patriot league average is 33 in rankings (Army and Navy not ranked.) NESCAC average is 17th. </p>
<p>I realize this is imprecise, rankings are flawed, these lump universities with colleges, etc., but it does give a good general guide.</p>
<p>Remember, Patriot League is a (not particularly strong) D-I conference put together for athletic purposes. NESCAC is a D-III conference and there is far less emphasis on athletics, although intraconference rivalries can be at least as intense. </p>
<p>All that said, Easton is an aging mill town, and quite awful. The campus, however, is very pretty. Trinity is also very New England gothic collegiate and surrounding area is hardly tenement like, more small homes and duplexes. Hartford and Connecticut are considerably more attractive and dynamic than Pennsylvania, which has the nation's oldest population and a large, ongoing exodus of young people over the last 30 years.</p>
<p>Fit is definitely the factor that should sway the decision (academics being so similar). I myself would pick Lafayette. Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states, and you don't have to go far from Lafayette to see that.</p>
<p>as a minority would i fit in at these schools? the diversity seems to be lacking...</p>
<p>On minority comfort, you might want to check out recent threads on the Trinity board. (There seem to be two independent boards for Trinity, Connecticut.) Caveat: such problems are not unique to Trinity.</p>
<p>One, in the most major sport, football, Army and Navy do not play in the Patriot League. Two, it depends what you mean by best school. West Point and Annapolis aren't that close to having the same student academic quality as Colgate or Bucknell, at least as far as avg SAT is concerned, but do have much lower acceptance rates as they are looking for different types of students; not to mention the allure of a free education vs $45K+ a year. You could argue all day long about which has better profs, career opps, intangible qualities gained, etc. I usually think of Colgate, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Lafayette as the core of the Patriot League as they are the only ones who consisently play each other in a wide variety of sports. I guess Georgetown may play in more these days, although certainly not in their most well known sport (basketball).</p>